Altadena Historical Society (AHS), a non-profit organization,
was
founded in 1935 to gather, preserve, and make available information
about the people, places, and events that have shaped the community in
the past.

Mt. Lowe Railroad

Circular Bridge

Mt. Lowe Railroad

Altadena Country Club

Boulder Crest

Chamber of Commerce

Egyptian House

1920's

Eliot School

Fire Station

1934

Florence Scripps Kellogg

Group in Poppy Field

JR's Restaurant

1960's

Andrew McNally House

1930's

Mother and Son Picking Poppies

Websters

1930's

AHS publishes a semi-annual newsletter, The Echo, which
highlights upcoming program topics, articles of local historical interest,
archival donations, research requests and society activities.

AHS also hosts quarterly informational programs for members and the public
at the Altadena Community Center. Our volunteers regularly
provide historical presentations to youth, senior and school groups to
promote interest in Altadena's history.

The Altadena Historical Society is proud of its own 80 year history. We are one of
the oldest volunteer organizations in the community.

Prof. Thaddeus S.C. Lowe--founder of the U.S. Balloon Corps that was the forerunner of the U.S. Airforce and visionary builder and promoter of Altadena’s Mt. Lowe Railway--and his wife, Leontine, will appear at the Monday Oct. 27 quarterly meeting of the Altadena Historical Society.

The Lowes will be presented in period dress by Steve and Patrice Demory, Anaheim residents who travel widely representing the couple at Civil War re-enactments and roundtables, schools and history-related events.

In addition, there will be an exhibit of photos and memorabilia of the Lowes and the Mt. Lowe Railway presented by descendants of the Lowes, by the Demorys, and from the extensive archives of the Altadena Historical Society itself.

“When the Civil War broke out, Lowe was a young scientist, inventor, aeronaut, balloon manufacturer and patriot who offered his services to President Lincoln,” Steve Demory said, “and Lincoln personally appointed him as the chief of the Aeronautic Department of the Army of the Potomac.

Also covered will be the Lowes’ post-war residency in Pasadena and the building of the Mt. Lowe Railway and its hotels and tourist attractions.

Monday, October 27, 2014 at 7:30 pm

Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., Altadena, CA 91001

Altadena Historical Society is a non-profit, volunteer organization founded in 1935 to gather, preserve and make available information about the people, places and events that have shaped the community.

Its website is altadenahistoricalsociety.org, which offers free weekly blogs about unique people, occurrences and places in Altadena history.

The Day the Rocks Fell

The three surviving Drew family members, Dorothy Drew Schaefer, George G. Drew and Helen Gregory (photo lower right) recall the dramatic events the night boulders crashed through the Rubio Pavilion, “dropping it in a tangled mass of wreckage into a roaring torrent of water 100 feet below.”